Analyst: An AT&T Win In Court Means More Regulation

By Josh Smith

If AT&T wins its court battle with the Justice Department it could cause wave of new government regulation, according to telecom analyst Tom Wheeler.

In a blog post on Friday, Wheeler, a former president of the National Cable Television Association and CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, argued that conditions imposed on AT&T's merger with T-Mobile could end up being extended to the whole market.

"If the Justice Department prevails in court the backdoor to imposing a new regulatory regime on wireless will have swung shut," he wrote. "On the other hand, an AT&T court win will trigger government regulation that could ultimately spread to all wireless carriers."